An artist of the floating world
How does an artist become involved in creating a barrier to prevent the erosion of marshland? And what effect does becoming involved in a community project have on art practice? Through his involvement in creating the Sutton Saltmarsh Protection Scheme, Simon Read discovered a form creative engagement whose influence extends far beyond the galleries.

Thirty years ago I brought a sea-going barge to Woodbridge in Suffolk as a bid to give myself an affordable living/studio solution. At the time I did not realise that I would also inherit a whole new way of life deeply enmeshed in the identity of the place. About six years ago I felt that it was about time that I focused my attention as an artist upon the environmental debate. Prior to this I had already become increasingly involved in projects, campaigns and commissions demanding a high level of environmental awareness, which, whilst collectively contributing to my experience on the ground, were inconclusive. It can be a frustrating experience to develop commitment to a particular subject and carry out the research with the awareness that upon completion, the shutters come down, support runs out and the opportunity to pursue it further evaporates. 

Conversely, picking up specific issues through a studio practice, often compromises the subject, produces dull art and addresses the wrong audience, making it clear that other pathways need to be explored. In any debate over the future of a landscape the local community has a vital role to play; with this in mind I joined the executive of a community organisation, the River Deben Association to take over responsibility for environmental issues. The context for this was the development of Estuarine Strategies for all of our East Coast Rivers and the generation of an acceptable Shoreline Management Plan and it fell to us to represent the interests of the community in the consultation process where the terms of reference were outside of our experience, inhibiting our ability to effectively participate. My instinct was to seek ways in which we could not only raise the level of awareness of estuary systems but also enhance a sense of ownership and responsibility. A way of doing this is to identify a project that can act as a vehicle towards greater insight; currently there is pressure to create new saltmarsh habitat by giving back reclaimed arable land, understandably this is a controversial issue and one that we inevitably have to form an opinion upon, with this in mind it seemed appropriate for us to explore other strategies, with an emphasis upon the management of existing saltmarsh as a priority.

Until now I had never considered it appropriate to bring my position as a senior academic into play: however it makes sense to use institutional networks as a means of seeking interdisciplinary collaboration with hydraulic engineers and scientists. Of course it is not as simple as that, for as an artist I have discovered that there is a credibility barrier and that the onus is always upon me to do the convincing. The crossover between different professional fields is not only fraught with misunderstanding but also the procedures for how research is configured are entirely different. Consequently, my endeavour to take an enquiry outside of the art-box has been difficult and to date, I have developed conversations with three different institutions, all of which after expressing an initial interest, have not committed to taking the discussion forward. However, events take over: the experience by the Environment Agency of developing estuarine or coastal strategies that are immediately misunderstood or rejected outright at the community level has led to the realisation that the consultation process is flawed. It errs on the pragmatic side failing to incorporate an understanding of societal issues, including an attachment to place. This is a sticking point, were the process to be broader, it could become too clumsy but if this other dimension is not adequately accommodated it will only engender further mistrust of a paternalistic authority. I believe that the arts have a function at the point of interface between science and society. This should not be taken at a simplistic level of making bitter truths palatable but as a basis for a conversation, where the benefits whilst certain, are not necessarily predictable.

It is so ingrained in us that the basis of our cultural connection to land lies in the sublime and the picturesque movements of the 18th/19th centuries that the degree to which the visual arts were crucial in defining what has become intrinsic to our national psyche is not widely acknowledged: we routinely convert land into landscape and what started as an articulation of a socio-political fait-accompli has now become an extension of the leisure industry. As such it is an inadequate tool to apply to the challenges that we are currently facing as regards pressures upon land use, the urbanisation of society and environmental change. Innate to our landscape tradition are particular implications of power and political control. This is something that I have explored in the abstract through much of my career. But now that there are immediate issues to address,  the gloves are off. This does not mean that the studio is displaced; it is still the incubator. The difference lies in a growing dissatisfaction with the limits set by an assumed relationship with an audience.

The Sutton Saltmarsh Protection Scheme is a timber and brushwood barrier constructed to absorb tidal energy at a section where there is severe damage from erosion. The aim is to stabilise the saltmarsh behind it, to encourage the accretion of silt and the re-vegetation of depleted areas. The barrier is made up of 62 panels set diagonally to the shoreline, facing upstream to deflect the tide on the ebb. In order to retain the continuity of the foreshore through the structure, each panel is freestanding braced both laterally and longitudinally. Although initially my proposal, the project was carried out under the aegis of the River Deben Association. We worked directly with a hydraulic engineer, Hawes Associates of Aldeburgh towards an acceptable design principle, consulted with the fisheries department of the Environment Agency to ascertain the degree to which mature saltmarsh acts as a fish nursery and therefore a vital part of the food chain, agreed with Natural England upon the form of the barrier in relation to the foreshore, conducted an environmental impact assessment and eventually achieved planning permission. We received a grant towards the work from the Sustainable Development Fund managed by Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit and logistical help from HMP Hollesley Bay Colony. Otherwise, apart from some further individual support, I carried out the bulk of the work myself.

The opportunity to build an ambitious work spanning 90 metres of river frontage is too good to pass up and to me, collaborations on a local level have the effect of grounding a debate that could otherwise become unrealistic. As a way into future partnerships it is useful to have taken a project from inception through planning to completion. A tangible outcome can work as an antidote to the marginalisation of both the cultural sector and the local community; I have in front of me a copy of the new “Sustainable Communities Act”, it appears that the kinds of initiative that we are developing on our beleaguered bit of coast are very much in the spirit of this legislation.